Mystra
Mystra is the present incarnation of the goddess of magic and fate, a member of the calendaris. She is celebrated in the ninth month of the year, Mystis, and her feastday (Skyloom) is observed alongside the autumnal equinox. Description The only known descriptions of the mortal that became Mystra are of a "young weaver's apprentice from Dormiir", and "a studious, devoted woman". As such, the goddess of magic is generally depicted as a plain-looking human woman with long straight hair, dressed in simple clothing. A loom stands behind her, with a bolt of celestial, fine-threaded cloth spilling from it and curving around her legs. Her sigil is a weaver's loom opening in a manner that brings to mind a book. Personality Abilities She controls and safekeeps the Weave, allowing (relatively) safe access to the power of raw magic to mortal spellcasters and magical craftsmen. As the goddess of magic, she has the ability to cast any and all spells. Activities Mystra keeps watch over magical research and regulates the advancement and dissemination of magical knowledge throughout the mortal world. She is charged with the caretaking of The Weave, a nebulous representation of fate and the source of all magic in the universe. Relationships Mystra is said to have a close friendship with Kelemvor - the realms of fate and death are not so far apart, after all. Tensions are said to be high between Mystra and Haela - it is thought that the goddess of power might not take so kindly to Mystra's carefully regimented rules of magic, as the scarcity of magic means that the ability to use magic is a greater boon to one's power than any other sort of strength. There are no known clerics or paladins of Mystra, though the children's tale figure of Kier Leafcurl is said to be her cleric. History Mystryl - first goddess of magic. Uncontrolled and chaotic, Mystryl's variant of magic took the form of vaporous wisps. Mystra - second incarnation. Mystra was responsible for the switch to a controlled, careful approach to magic, laying out rules and limits to ensure the safety of the world and its denizens. The weave under Mystra's control is said to resemble an ever-changing tapestry, so large as to be incomprehensible to mortal eyes. As told by the tiefling Destiny, head priestess at the Church of the Calendaris in Esmeria: This is ancient, ancient history – or it may just be stories. Tales this old have a way of losing themselves and being spun into something else as they pass through time and tellers. The original, primal goddess of magic was known as Mystryl, a chaotic and unstable deity. Magic was free-flowing when she was the goddess of magic. We use the 'weave' as a term to describe the organisation of magic, but it’s a metaphor that came to be with Mystra's ascension – there was no such organisation in Mystryl's time, and so very few rules and very few limitations – magic could be cast without strain, or effort, and it never 'ran out' as it does today. A long time ago a spellcaster brought to fruition an idea to rob a god of control over their realm and wield it for oneself – and it worked. Mystryl lost control of the vastness of magic – vast floating cities fell, taking entire civilisations with them. Oceans surged from the impact, drowning cities on the land. The barriers between planes fell, allowing fiends and fey and all other sorts to slip through uncontrolled. Mystryl, being unable to take back her control, but knowing that the existence of magic itself was tied intrinsically to her existence, snuffed her own consciousness out – and all magical power ceased to exist. Hiree and Hirah chose a new incarnation for the goddess of magic – a peasant girl, a weaver on the island of Dormiir. History has lost record of her name before her ascension, or the reasoning behind it, but she came to be known as Mystra. Newly anointed, she set about the task of weaving magic back into existence – but this time, organised and regimented as the threads that comprise a cloth – and that is what we refer to as 'the weave'; the fabric of magic, the veil between planes of existence, the cloth of fate. Magic is still scarce, trickling back into the world as Mystra weaves tirelessly at her loom...and the rules and regimentation of the Weave mean that never again can a spellcaster take advantage of unchecked power by stealing the control of a god. Category:Deities Category:Major Gods